Two Institutions — and You — Are Saving America

The President is unfit for office and Congress is failing to use its oversight abilities to check him. We are living in a worst-case scenario. What happens when two branches of our government are missing in action?

Democratic Representative Adam Schiff, from California’s 28th Congressional District, said on October 14 at Stanford University that we are relying on two institutions: “The press and the courts are keeping our democracy afloat.”

What has the press done? For starters….

POLITICO exposed Tom Price’s habit of using private jets at taxpayer expense that led to his firing.

The New Yorker published Anthony Scaramucci’s unprofessional interview that got him fired.

The New York Times revealed that Paul Manafort, Donald Trump, Jr. and Jared Kushner met with a Kremlin-connected attorney to discuss getting dirt on Hillary Clinton.

The Washington Post reported that Trump gave away highly classified information to the Russian foreign minister and ambassador in a White House meeting in May.

What have the federal courts done?

Judges blocked the Muslim ban three times, using Trump’s tweets as evidence that the ban is motivated by hate.

And we can’t forget the Paul Manafort trial set for May 2018 in federal court!

Absolutely, the press and the federal courts have been invaluable guardrails during this chaotic time. We must stand up for the freedom of the press and pay for news. We also must work to elect Democratic Senators in 2018 in Arizona to ensure we have quality judges in federal courts. Senators “advise and consent” to the President’s nominees for federal judgeships so we want Democratic senators making these decisions.

Democrats can win in 2018. Rep. Schiff said his Republican colleagues started feeling nervous about the grassroots energy shown by the Women’s March. At least twenty-seven House Republicans have left, announced their retirement, or decided to run for a different office, compared to seven Democrats. They can sense the mood.

Something to watch for is a House Republican publicly opposing the Trump agenda. “Where is the McCain of the House?” Schiff asked, pointing out that there is a big empty space for a Republican in the House to claim conservative principles and oppose Trump. We will know the atmosphere has changed when a House Republican starts speaking out.

Rep. Schiff ended his Stanford speech by offering some hope: As long as there is no war, Trump’s actions are reversible. So we must commit like never before to making 2018 a landslide election for Democrats and reverse the damage.

The results in Virginia and New Jersey this week show what can happen when the electorate is energized and votes. The Democratic National Committee invested $1.5 million in Virginia to secure wins there. None of that money went to TV advertising. The money was used for organizing and mobilizing voters, and data and technology. That’s where our local money goes, too. Not visible, not slick. Boring but effective.